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Robert Kennedy Jr. has told New York Gov. David Paterson he is not interested in being appointed to the seat that will be vacated by Senator Hillary Clinton (and the same seat once held by his father) if she is confirmed as the next Secretary of State, the New York Times reports. Kennedy has been among a lengthy list of names being circulated and he becomes the second to publicly bow out, joining Rep. Nita Lowey who yesterday said she was not interested. Paterson is reportedly interested in tapping someone from upstate New York, a woman or an Hispanic for the seat.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and activist, said he’s happy doing what he’s doing right now. “I have spent lots of time thinking about it,” he told the Times. “I have spent time talking with my uncle, by brothers, my cousin and, of course, my wife. And I think I’m in a good position right now doing what I’m doing.”

Should Janet Napolitano, Barack Obama's pick for homeland security chief, be confirmed as expected by the Senate, Napolitano will need to step down from her current position as governor of Arizona.

The state has no lieutenant governor, and its laws dictate that the governor, who is a Democrat, be replaced by Secretary of State Jan Brewer – a Republican.

The Associated Press reports that Brewer, who would be governor through 2010, "had a reputation as a fiscal hard-liner and conservative on social issues while a legislator in the 1980s and 1990s, so her taking over the governorship would mean a new approach from Napolitano's direction."

Since governors are not members of a legislative body along the lines of the House or Senate, a shift from blue to red in the Arizona governor's office doesn't hold great national significance. There would be far more fanfare if a Senate seat was to switch hands due to an Obama cabinet selection, though such a scenario is extremely unlikely.

There are three senators who have left or will likely give up their seats: Illinois Sen. and President-elect Obama, Delaware Sen. and Vice-president elect Joe Biden, and New York Sen. and secretary of state nominee Hillary Clinton.

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In what it is billing as part of "President-elect Obama's pledge to run the most open and transparent transition in history," the incoming administration's transition team has begun releasing the names of its donors.

The names will be released on a monthly basis, and the first batch came out today. The transition team says that 1,776 donors have given $1,170,937.44 as of November 15th.

The full list of donors is here, and the release includes each donor's name, employer, town of residence, and the amount of their donation. (Donations range from $25 to $5,000.)

Notes the release: "The Obama-Biden Transition project only accepts contributions from individuals' personal funds – we refuse all donations from corporations, labor unions, and PACs. Individuals may not donate more than $5,000. We also refuse all contributions from registered federal lobbyists and registered foreign agents."

Reviews are flooding in on President-elect Obama’s selections for his national security and foreign policy team but one in particular stuck out of the in-box – a statement from former President Bill Clinton, who was quick to laud the selection of his wife, Hillary Clinton, to be Secretary of State. Here’s the full text:

As an American, I am thankful that President-elect Barack Obama has asked Hillary to be Secretary of State and that she has accepted. As her husband, I am deeply proud.

She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities.

She has already earned the respect of foreign leaders and diplomats through her work to promote human rights and the empowerment of women through access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity. And Americans know, from her leadership in the Senate on national security, that she will always put the security, values and the interests of our people first.

In her service to the people of New York and our nation, Hillary has demonstrated the knowledge, passion, resilience, and capacity to learn that our country needs at this critical time. She loves being a Senator from New York, but as she has in all the thirty-seven years I've known her, she answered the call to serve. I commend President-Elect Obama for asking her to be a part of a great national security team. America will be well-served.

A little pre-feast political appetizer appears on the op-ed page of the Washington Post this morning, where authors Karl E. Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac argue that the best replacement in the U.S. Senate for Hillary Clinton should she, as expected, become Secretary of State would be – her husband, former President Bill Clinton. From the op-ed:

Who in his party could question so historic and dazzling a choice? In a stroke, the appointment would provide Sen. Clinton's indefatigable husband with a fitting day job, serve the interests of a state beset by a meltdown in its most vital economic sector and offer a refreshing reverse twist on a tradition whereby deceased male senators, representatives or governors are succeeded by their widows.

CBS News’ David Martin reports retired Admiral Denny Blair will be the next Director of National Intelligence. Blair was the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Clinton administration. According to a New York Times profile, Blair brings “intimate experience with intelligence during a 34-year Navy career. A brainy retired four-star admiral whose jobs included commander of the United States Pacific Command, he is also an Asia expert who is considered adept at running sprawling organizations, seemingly a prerequisite for heading an office that is still grappling with the task of fusing 16 spy agencies.”

CBS News has confirmed that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is a serious contender to be tapped for Commerce Secretary. Richardson, a 2008 presidential candidate, had been on many lists for Secretary of State but that position appears to be New York Senator Hillary Clinton’s if she chooses. CBS reported yesterday that the transition is on track to possibly make that announcement soon after Thanksgiving.

Richardson is currently in his second term as governor of New Mexico and would bring a broad resume of government service to the administration. He has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has been Energy Secretary and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Washingtonpost.com’s Chris Cillizza, who first reported the possibility of the governor going to the Commerce Department, notes that the post was thought to be going to President-elect Obama’s former campaign finance chair and friend Penny Pritzker, but she removed herself from consideration yesterday.

One of the questions surrounding the potential appointment of Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State is what she would do about the nearly $8 million in outstanding bills she has from her presidential campaign (as well as other debt). Federal law would prohibit her from actively raising money to retire the debt and the appearances might not be favorable for someone heading the State Department. Right on cue it seems, Clinton’s campaign organization sent out a fund-raising e-mail to supporters with a little bit of an urgent request:

We are living in a very special time in American history, with an election that has redefined the boundaries of possibility and set our nation on a positive path with new leadership.

Things are changing in Washington and we have reason to hope that the next four years will look much different and better than the last eight.

As we look forward to a new era in Washington, there is still one piece of unfinished business where Hillary needs your help.

We need to do all we can to help Hillary by acting now to reduce her remaining debt.

The new administration about to sweep into Washington, DC, is destined to do more than just change the face of the executive branch, it’s going to have a potentially profound impact on the Senate as well.

Already, President-elect Barack Obama has resigned his seat, leaving it up to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to select a replacement. A slew of potential cabinet choices could mean more changes should New York Senator Hillary Clinton, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry or even Republican Dick Lugar from Indiana make the jump.

One other certain new face will come from Delaware, where Vice Presidential-elect Joe Biden has yet to formally resign his seat. There has been speculation that he would like to see his son, state Attorney General Beau Biden fill his seat (to which he was just re-elected this year). But the younger Biden has taken himself out of the running, according to a statement yesterday evening. On his way to Iraq as part of the state’s National Guard, Beau Biden had this to say: “I have not sought and will not accept an appointment to the United States Senate. … I look forward to returning to my work as attorney general of the state of Delaware.”

President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign was defined by a lack of drama – steady, methodical and virtually leak-proof. In the early days of the transition, however, the team that redefined stoic is finding things a little more chaotic in Washington. And no place is that more evident than the ongoing drama over the possible appointment of New York Senator Hillary Clinton to become Secretary of State.

Those who thought the primary drama was left behind at the Democratic convention in Denver (or at least on Election Day) may not have seen this one coming. What is very obvious at the moment is that Clinton is indeed being “vetted” for the post. What’s not so clear is whether all this fuss is worth the risks to the incoming administration.

On the surface, the consideration suggests some real reconciliation between the two former primary rivals. Clinton’s level of support for the Democratic nominee continued to dog the party long after the last votes were cast for the nomination. Many of her supporters were infuriated at what they felt to be a slight when the senator was not vetted to become the vice presidential running mate. And the split in the party dominated the initial days of the national convention.

Now she’s getting a serious look for one of the most important positions in the administration. But, as the New York Times and several other outlets have detailed, it’s not an uncomplicated matter due to former president Clinton’s post-presidential activities. Yet unrevealed sources of funding for his presidential library and the Clinton Foundation’s involvement with foreign governments are but two of the potential stumbling blocks on the way to getting it done.

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